Telenovelas

I usually tell people that I hate telenovelas, and it’s true – I hate them, especially the ones Suegra watches in the afternoon – but in life, there are always a few exceptions to the rule.

The first telenovela I ever watched was “Esmeralda.” I would visit Carlos, (who was my novio at the time), at his brother’s apartment. If I visited when Esmeralda was on, there was no talking to him, except during commercial breaks. I knew the show was the equivalent to a soap opera, something American men absolutely do not watch, so it puzzled me that he watched the telenovela so faithfully and without any shame, even if he was macho in every other way.

I watched with him because there was nothing better to do, and decided it would help my Spanish. There is one line from that show that I still remember, because I repeated it so well that it made Carlos laugh until he cried. “¡Tengo las fotos de tú y ella!” was simple enough for me to understand and so I spat it out with the same dramatic emotion as the actress on screen. We still say this line to each other to get a cheap laugh.

It would take another decade for me to find another telenovela good enough to watch. Carlos was watching “La Fea Más Bella,” and at first I made fun of it. The background music and sound effects were so cheesy that I wondered how in the world he could watch it. Then one day, “Fernando,” (Jaime Camil) walked on screen and I couldn’t look away. So yes, I started watching for the eye candy, but eventually I came to like the character of “Lety” and the storyline itself, (although I did not like the ending. Why do the characters who are fea or gordita always have to have a makeover? Why can’t they just live happily ever after the way they are?)

Now there is a new telenovela starting next week, (Jan. 10th at 9 pm), which has piqued my interest. While watching Telemundo with Carlos the other night, this commercial for “Los Herederos Del Monte” came on…

After picking my jaw back up off the floor I said, “Wow…that looks…good.”

Carlos gave me a look that suggested he understood I wasn’t talking about the plot.

So I wish I could say otherwise, but I am completely addicted to novelas. I started watching them in high school with the excuse that they helped me learn Spanish (and I absolutely think they did!), but now I’m hooked. I record them, so I can watch them quickly, and I like to think I’m selective about which ones I watch, but really I don’t think I could stop if I wanted to! I’ll put Los Herederos de Monte on the schedule for recording. :-)

Of course you weren’t talking about the TV spot. Hold on, I think a not-hairy chest got stucked inside your eye.
May I suggest the best telenovela makers?: Brazilians telenovelas. I’m sure you’ll can find them online in “latinamerican spanish”: The best of them all: “El Clon”

LOL! … A “not hairy chest” got stuck in my eye too and I like it… Hey, you got like 5 seconds of that woman’s thigh when she got out of the car. Wasn’t that good enough?

I’ve heard of El Clon – will have to look for it. I’ve seen a few episodes of Brazilian telenovelas, but it bothers me when their mouths don’t move exactly with the words since it’s dubbed from Portuguese to Spanish.

I tried to get into that “India” telenovela which is from Brazil, but I couldn’t get sufficiently interested.

There’s something about latino men and telenovelas… the ones in them are mostly hot, and the ones in our house can’t stop watching them! lol My step-dad is addicted! The las time I saw a novela was when I was in maternity leave, I don’t have the time right now even if I wanted to :(

Have you seen El Clon? I didn’t watch it when it was on, but several people asked me if I had because it showed a Muslim family.

Hey I wanted to tell you that coincidentally I met this El Salvadoran lady today and she pointed to my daughters who were playing nearby and asked if they were my cipotas. Had I not discovered your blog last week, I would have been like “see-whattas?” But I didn’t blink an eye and said, “Si, son mis cipotas.”

Something in one of your blogs caused it to get blocked at work, and I was getting “Latina-ish withdraw syndrome”. Anyhoo, I still have home. Love you blog on the novelas. I saw the ad for the new novela last week and thought, wow that is one nice looking man. I won’t be watching since I’m working when it will be on, but the ad is worth watching. Also, just an FYI, don’t believe for one minute that American Males don’t watch soaps………..Happy New Year.

Haha! Yes, I miss my telenovelas. I am also a little weirded out that I just commented on your “Right Answer, Wrong Question” post only seconds ago and now I read this and see that we both used the same expression almost identically. Coincidence? Hmmm…
And as for “Los Herederos Del Monte”…save room on the couch for me! I wanna watch too! :P